Meet the retrievers brought to Dallas to help us cope after the downtown ambush

In times of tragedy, sometimes all you want — or need — is a dog. That’s why trained comfort dogs headed to the Dallas area Monday, and one of their first stops was the Dallas Morning News office.

The dogs came from far and wide — Texas, Oklahoma and Illinois, to be specific — and have visited areas reeling from loss, such as Boston after the marathon bombing, Sandy Hook and Orlando. The dogs are sponsored by Lutheran Church Charities and come “wherever they are invited,” says LCC president Tim Hetzner.

They come now to support our healing community. In case you aren’t able to see them while they are in town indefinitely, we wanted to introduce you to the five dogs that came to our newsroom to pay us a visit.

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Meet Ruthie, Rufus, Pax, Luther and Phoebe.

Choose a dog to read its story.Vote for your favorite in the poll below.

Ruthie

Ruthie

Age: 4 | Chicago

Although Ruthie and Luther aren’t biological brother and sister, volunteers say they act like it. Their caretaker, Rich Martin, says they are polar opposites: Ruthie is the “high drive” one. Ruthie loves to chase deer, and Martin even has a special nickname for her: “Thin Mint.”

Meet Ruthie, Rufus, Pax, Luther and Phoebe.

Click the dogs to read their stories. Vote for your favorite in the poll below.

Rufus

Rufus

Age: 3 | Edmond, Okla.

“When he first got in the room, we had to work at holding him back,” said one of Rufus’ handlers, John Over. “He’s a fun dog.”
While Rufus, like all of the dogs, had to undergo comfort dog training, he still gets scared sometimes, Over said. A few months ago, they traveled in a glass elevator for the first time, and Rufus “was freaking out.” Still, Over says “he’s spoiled rotten.”

Pax

Pax

Age: 2 | Fort Worth

As a 2-year-old, Pax loves to have fun. And on Monday, that involved lying on the floor and being petted by as many Morning News employees as could fit between lines of cubicles. “They do extremely well opening up,” volunteer Chuck Wendt said of Pax and Phoebe.

Luther

Luther

Age: 5 | Chicago

Ever since caretaker Rich Martin got Luther as a puppy, Luther has been laid back. "Luther never had an anxious bone in his body," Martin said. By their visit’s end, Luther was surrounded by female employees. Martin’s take? “He does like the ladies.”

Phoebe

Phoebe

Age: 4 | Fort Worth

Phoebe is a Texas girl, and she has a “calm and docile” manner to show for it, said Chuck Wendt, one of the volunteers who works with her. You can generally find her working with children in schools. That’s what she loves most, Wendt said. “They love to do their jobs,” Wendt said of both Phoebe and that other Texas local, Pax.